About
Meet Julie
I’m Julie Littman, a certified Oh My Mahjong® instructor teaching American Mah Jongg (National Mah Jongg League rules) across Milwaukee and its suburbs. I learned the game at my grandmother’s table as a kid, and I’ve loved it ever since. Now I bring the tiles, the racks, and the patience to living rooms, offices, and partner venues all over town.
Group lessons are $50/person for two hours, private sessions are $150, and parties are a flat $400 for up to eight players. I bring everything you need. You just show up curious.
My story
It started at my grandmother’s table
Some of my earliest memories are the sounds of mahjong: tiles clacking, racks sliding, my grandmother and her friends laughing over the Charleston. She taught me to play when I was young, and the game never let go. I’ve been a game lover my whole life, but mahjong is the one I keep coming back to.
Playing is a blast. Teaching, it turns out, is even better. When mahjong’s current wave hit, I kept finding myself pulled to the new player at the table: walking them through the card, cheering their first exposure, watching the moment it clicks. So I made it official: I trained and certified as an Oh My Mahjong® instructor, and MKE Mahjong was born.
Today I teach women, men, couples, and teens all over the Milwaukee area: total beginners, returning players who learned decades ago, and groups who just want a great night in with something new on the table.
How I teach
Patience first, always
My whole approach fits on a tile: no pressure, no dumb questions, and as many reps as it takes.
Zero pressure
Nobody gets rushed and nobody gets quizzed. We move at your table’s pace, and every question is a good one.
Hands-on from minute one
You learn mahjong by playing mahjong. Tiles are in your hands right away: real racks, real deals, real hands.
Reps make players
The Charleston, jokers, calling, reading the card: each clicks with repetition, so we practice until it feels natural.
Tailored to your group
A girls' night, a couples table, a corporate team, and a solo refresher all need different lessons. I plan for yours.
The game I teach
American Mah Jongg, with respect for its roots
I teach American Mah Jongg played by National Mah Jongg League rules, the version with the annual card, jokers, and the Charleston. It’s the game my grandmother played, and the one most tables in Milwaukee play today.
The game itself is older and bigger than any one variant. Mahjong emerged in 19th-century China, and the American game grew out of the 1920s craze that swept the U.S., refined over the decades by the National Mah Jongg League, founded in 1937, which still publishes the card we play from every year. I love sharing that history at the table; knowing where the game comes from makes playing it richer.
New players get an official NMJL card at their first lesson for $15, while supplies last. It’s the one thing worth owning from day one.
Who I teach
- · Total beginners (my specialty)
- · Women, men, couples, and teens
- · Returning players who want a refresher
- · Friend groups, showers, and corporate teams
Where I teach
Milwaukee & nearby suburbs, in your home, your office, or a partner venue. Anywhere a card table fits, a lesson fits. No studio to drive to, no booking software to wrestle with; we schedule by text or email, personally.
See lessons & pricingLet’s get you to the table
Text or email me and tell me who’s playing, and I’ll take it from there.